Yet another use for photography

Jock Elliott

Hall of Famer
Location
Troy, NY
The tranquility of the morning was disturbed by my better half: "Jock, come into the kitchen. We have a problem."

We did, indeed, have a problem: we keep cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink, including a plastic basin that hold sponges, brushes, etc. It was 3/4 full of water.

It didn't take long to identify the source of the leak: the drain pipe from the left-hand side of the double-bowl sink. Bear in mind, I am not Mr. fixit; I do not have awesome skills for domestic engineering.

At a hardware store that had recently opened nearby, I had great difficulty making the clerk understand what I needed. So I returned home, took a quick snap with the LX100:

LX100_under_sink_002_Medium_.JPG
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


I went to my favorite hardware store (which is a bit further away, but has a track record of offering great advice) showed the picture to the clerk on the screen of the LX100, and explained where the leak was. He said: "Oh, I know exactly what you need!"

15 minutes later, I was home. Five minutes after that, the leak was repaired.

Don't you just love digital photography?

Cheers, Jock
 
I use it when taking apart complicated (and new to me) bike or motorcycle parts. Aids me tremendously in the re-assembly. I also used photos when wiring up an entire home ceiling speaker setup... ran all the wires before there was any sheet rock, shot photos of each showing where the wires terminated, labeled each photo with what room it was in, then they sheet rocked over it. A month later I viewed all the photos up close on the big tv, and cut all my holes in the right places.
 
Jock: I would point out this domestic savings against the price of the LX100 every chance I got. Maybe a t shirt with "Jock Elliot, Photoplumber".

I love it! (Genius idea)

Fortunately, my wife is very supportive of my photography.

She actually said, "How much would you have to pay a plumber to do that?"

Still, a t shirt with "Jock Elliot, Photoplumber" has a certain panache that would be hard to beat . . .

Cheers, Jock
 
I use it when taking apart complicated (and new to me) bike or motorcycle parts. Aids me tremendously in the re-assembly. I also used photos when wiring up an entire home ceiling speaker setup... ran all the wires before there was any sheet rock, shot photos of each showing where the wires terminated, labeled each photo with what room it was in, then they sheet rocked over it. A month later I viewed all the photos up close on the big tv, and cut all my holes in the right places.

Very clever! When I was writing product reviews for magazines, I would use digital pictures to document the often-complicated packing scheme so I could look at it later to properly repack the product for return to the manufacturer.

Cheers, Jock
 
In a previous life, I occasionally had to learn fairly complex boot up procedures for computer equipment. Instead of taking notes, or nodding mindlessly, I would pull out my camera and make a video of the boot up procedure. This saved my bacon at more than one time.

I've used photographs to document plugs in the back of surround sound systems, so I knew which was supposed to go where when I moved them from one place to another. Another time, I videoed the wiring procedure when an electrician installed a light fitting. Sometimes I have made quick videos of myself describing how to do something, or doing it, so I can remember later.

Having small digital cameras is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. :D
 
I use it when taking apart complicated (and new to me) bike or motorcycle parts. Aids me tremendously in the re-assembly. I also used photos when wiring up an entire home ceiling speaker setup... ran all the wires before there was any sheet rock, shot photos of each showing where the wires terminated, labeled each photo with what room it was in, then they sheet rocked over it. A month later I viewed all the photos up close on the big tv, and cut all my holes in the right places.

I have a bike frame with S&S couplers, which allow the bike to break down, the frame comes apart into two pieces, and the whole bike fits in an airline regulation sized suitcase. It's a full size bike with full 700c wheels, NOT a folding bike with little wheels (I have one of those too...). But it's a hell of a puzzle to get all of the pieces into the suitcase and get it to close, with two parts of the frame, two wheels, handlebars, cranks and chainrings, seatpost and seat, fork and stem, etc, etc, etc. It's about a 20-30 minute job when you're really on top of it and after a lot of practice. If you do it once every year or two (which was about as often as I ever did it), it could easily take an hour to break a bike down and get all of the pieces into the case such that it will close easily enough for the TSA agents to be able to close it again once they inspect it.

Long story short - it was hard enough WITH a series of photos on my phone showing the packing process step by step. I can't imagine having done it without them. I can barely ride anymore, let alone going on biking vacations that require flying with a bike, so I don't have the photos on my phone anymore. But I still have the photos in case I either need to take the bike somewhere someday or in case I sell it and need to ship it - getting back in the case will be the best way to get it to a new owner...

Here's the fifth photo in the series, with everything in place except for the crankset and the front wheel in place:

View attachment 104309P1000097 by ramboorider1, on Flickr

-Ray
 
I started to say "wuh oh you have a dented chainstay" but then I realized where it was, and that it's intentional for wheel clearance. I'll bet it's incredible to have not just a full sized light bike on vacation anywhere, but to have YOUR bike. Riding around cities like we do (never more than maybe 20 - 25 miles a day), the Bromptons and their 15 second setup routine make for great tools.
 
I started to say "wuh oh you have a dented chainstay" but then I realized where it was, and that it's intentional for wheel clearance. I'll bet it's incredible to have not just a full sized light bike on vacation anywhere, but to have YOUR bike. Riding around cities like we do (never more than maybe 20 - 25 miles a day), the Bromptons and their 15 second setup routine make for great tools.

Yeah, I have Brompton too, and that and my "townie" get pretty much all of my miles today, and there aren't that many miles and I don't keep track of 'em anymore. I've never really wanted to ride the Brompton more than about 10 miles at a shot, and maybe 20-25 over the course of a day. But back when I was riding a lot, I liked traveling to interesting places and doing some big mile riding there. I've done some big rides in Wales, Italy, Colorado, Utah, Nova Scotia, Vermont, etc. I drove to Vermont, but the others all involved flying and being able to bring my own bike is the key to enjoying those rides. I've never been able to get comfortable for more than a couple of hours on a bike that I hadn't spent weeks or months dialing in to my position and preferences. With the right bike, I could ride all day for a week or two at a time. Not negotiable to bring my own bike for those longer rides... This setup was a pain in the ass, but incredibly well worth the hassle...

-Ray
 
Back
Top